Until the United States lifts its restrictions on travel to Cuba, most Americans can’t dine in Havana. Fortunately, East Valley residents can experience the next best thing: Havana Cafe.
The three-year-old Ahwatukee Foothills restaurant, one of three locations in the Valley, is the most recent from husband-and-wife owners Gilbert and B.J. Hernandez. (He’s from Cuba, she runs day-to-day operations.)
Although it may look like a neighborhood sports bar from the outside, what with its neon-painted windows advertising drink specials and live music, there’s a whole different vibe once you step inside.
Soft yellow and frothy green walls contrast the hard, reddish-brown floor. Plantation shutters and artificial greenery extend the illusion of a tropical hideaway. Latin-inflected jazz plays softly.
It’s a relaxing and casual atmosphere, one where you can take your time perusing Havana Café’s voluminous menu, which features not just Cuban food, but branches out into Spanish, Argentine and Chilean as well.
• Check out the lunch menu for Havana Cafe (pdf)
• Check out the dinner menu for Havana Cafe (pdf)
Cuban food, if you’re not familiar, is not spicy. And it has little in common with Mexican food, despite countries’ shared language.
Black beans are an exception. Well-known south of the border, black bean soup also is the national soup of Cuba. Havana Café’s delicious version ($3.50 cup, $4.95 bowl) is heavy on cumin and topped with onions and cilantro.
Equally tasty are black bean fritters ($5.25, pictured at right), one of the highlights among more than two dozen appetizers. The golfball-sized orbs are complemented by a zesty avocado dipping sauce.
Citrus is an important flavor in Cuban cooking, especially with meats. Havana Café’s bestseller is pollo Cubano ($16.75, pictured below), a boneless breast marinated with lime and orange then sauteed with a pile of onions.
Another well-portioned entree is the gallina frita ($22.95), shredded chicken that’s pan-fried with onions until crispy, then coated with mojo, a tart garlic-lime sauce that’s a Cuban staple.
Bistecs Cubano ($22.95), or Cuban steaks, are marinated in lime juice, garlic and herbs and offered in three preparations. My favorite is the bistec encevollado, which comes with diced Spanish onions, but the lightly breaded empanizado version also is a winner.
Beef lovers will want to try the ropa vieja ($17.50), braised brisket in a red wine and vegetable sauce. If you prefer pork, go with masas de puerco fritas ($21.95), small pieces of fried pork.
Of course, no Cuban menu is complete without a Cuban sandwich, a lightly pressed sub of roast pork, ham, swiss, mortadella and pickles on a fresh-baked bun. I just wish Havana Café’s lunch version ($10.95) wasn’t quite so skimpy with the ingredients.
The dessert menu is just as expansive as the dinner menu, featuring no less than 17 offerings. The flan ($6.50) is the most popular.
If you’re adventurous, though, try the toronja con queso crema ($4.95, pictured at right), strips of candied grapefruit rind served over cream cheese with anise-flavored syrup.
Such an exotic dessert almost can make you feel like you’re really in Havana.
Havana Café
Where: 4232 E. Chandler Blvd., Ahwatukee. Additional locations in Scottsdale and Phoenix.
Open: 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 4 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sunday.
Prices: Appetizers $4.50-$10.95, salads $4.25-$18.50, lunch entrees $8.50-$14.95, dinner entrees $13.50-$29.95, desserts $4.95-$7.50.
Info: (480) 704-2600 or havanacafe-az.com
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It seems that the reviewer has never had authentic Cuban food, which is readily available as close as Los Angeles, and as far away as Miami, Tampa and other locales.
The quality of the dishes pales in comparison to authentic dishes and the prices that Havana Cafe charges are outrageous. I have yet to experience anything at any of the restaurant’s locations that comes close to the dishes served in Little Havana in Miami, or from my Cuban grandmother’s kitchen in Key West. A typical Cuban sandwich costs between $4-$7, NOT $11!
I think the it begins with the inclusion of cilantro on any Cuban dish…it’s not an ingredient in Cuban cuisine (at least not pre-embargo recipes). It just seems that attention to the quality of the ingredients is not adhered to.
I wish it were better, Cuban food is the food of my family and my youth and I was excited when it opened so many years ago. Sadly, it has not improved and my opinion of it has not either.
The best I can say is that the atmosphere is very comfortable and inviting and the food is good, if you have never had Cuban food before.
I am Cuban born, from Havana and was very excited to check this place out.
I was raised in West Palm Beach, Florida and know what a REAL cuban restaurant is and obviously grew up on comida cubana (cuban food).
As soon as I walked in, I looked around and the atmosphere SCREAMED nursing home to me. I did a double take and was frankly embarrased.
I ignored the horrible decor aside, that by the way, resembled NOTHING from my homeland. There attempt for the “island” look was tacky picture frames from Target that say Cuba.
I ordered congri and yuca frita. Which are both favorites growing up.
When my food came and the server placed the plate in front of me of yuca frita with this weird looking cream sauce on top, I almost had a heart attack.
I asked the waiter what the white stuff on top of my yuca frita was and he told me it was a mayo based sauce. I said WHAT?!? Yuca frita doesn’t come with any sauce except mojo. He proceeded to argue with me. I asked him where he was from and he said Venezuela or some south america country.
I let him know I was from Cuba and I knew how to make Yuca frita and that I was VERY offended that they were serving such a dish in that way.
To make a long story short, it was a horrible experience and I left there hungry and VERY upset that they were portraying my birthplace in such a horrible way.
THUMBS DOWN and they REALLY should SHUT DOWN.